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  • Nutrition Hub

Quinoa

Quinoa is a seed cooked like a grain, and one cup delivers 8.1g of protein, 5.2g of fiber and over half a day’s manganese, with more lysine than rice or wheat.
  • Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 cup cooked (185g)

  • Calories: 222
  • Calories: 222
  • Fiber: 5.2g
  • Sugar: 1.6g
  • Protein: 8.1g
  • Fat: 3.6g
  • Key Nutrients
Manganese, Magnesium, Plant Protein, Folate
  • Key Vitamins
Folate (19% DV), Thiamin B1 (16% DV), Riboflavin B2 (16% DV), Vitamin B6 (13% DV)
  • Essential Minerals
Manganese (51% DV), Copper (39% DV), Magnesium (28% DV), Phosphorus (22% DV), Zinc (18% DV), Iron (15% DV), Selenium (9% DV), Potassium (7% DV)
  • Glycemic Impact
What’s This?
  • Glycemic Index (GI)
  • GI Score
Low
  • Glycemic Load (GL)
  • GI per 100g:
  • Impact
  • Glycemic Scale Rating
Low (0-55)
Medium (56-69)
High (70+)
0 20 40 60 80 100
Cooked quinoa in a dark bowl with chickpeas and cucumber
Cooked quinoa in a dark bowl with chickpeas and cucumber
Low
  • Health Benefits:

    • One cup cooked carries 8.1g of plant protein with notably more lysine than rice or wheat, the amino acid those grains run short on. Measured protein quality is moderate rather than exceptional, so treat quinoa as a better grain, not a protein food.

    • 51% of a day's manganese and 28% of a day's magnesium in one cup, two minerals a lot of US adults come up short on.

    • 5.2g of fiber per cup, roughly double what the same volume of white rice gives you.

    • Naturally gluten free, so it stands in for couscous or barley without a substitute product.

    • Cooks in about 15 minutes and keeps for days, which is what makes it realistic on a weeknight.
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What’s This?

Glycemic Index (GI)

GI measures how fast a food raises blood sugar.

Glycemic Load (GL)

Tells you how big that rise actually is once portion size is factored in.

Example:

Watermelon has a high GI (it digests quickly) but a low GL because a normal serving doesn’t
contain many carbs so the actual blood-sugar impact is small.

Why it matters:

Understanding both GI and GL gives you a clearer picture of how foods affect your blood sugar both the speed of the rise and the true impact based on the portion you eat.